Manfred von Karma: Ace Attorney
by UltraCronos
Summary: Imprisoned, stripped of his badge, and sentenced to death, former legendary prosecutor Manfred Von Karma spends his last night alive reminiscing about his career as a prosecutor... and the events that helped shaped him and the law into what it is today. On Hiatus.
1. Prolouge: The Fallen Legend

** Manfred Von Karma: Ace Attorney**

**By: UltraCronos**

Disclaimer: I don't own Ace Attorney, but if I did, I would be freaking rich. Also, AAI2 would have been localized by now.

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><p>Prologue: The Fallen Legend<p>

_August 24, 2018, 10:AM_

_L.A. County Prison,_

_Prisoner's Cell_

Prison… A home for the corrupt, and for those who would defy the law. Some were innocent people who lives were turned upside down by a quirk of fat. Others were monsters, people who manipulated others and the law for themselves and their purposes.

But one in particular stood out.

This criminal was of a different class then the others who lived in this prison. This particular criminal was once a prosecutor, and was considered to be the God of Perfection, because of his brutal tactics in court. This man would use any trick to win, from altering testimonies to forging evidence, and because of this he never lost a case for 40 years. This man was a force of power so strong that he lived in his own cell because many of the prisoners were terrified of him, being that most of them were in prison because of him.

His name was Manfred Von Karma, and he was once the most feared and revered prosecutor in the country.

Until two years, when he was defeated in court by a rookie defense attorney and exposed as a killer. He was stripped of his badge and sentenced to prison with a death sentence. Now, two years later, the time had finally come.

Tomorrow would be the day of Von Karma's execution.

But he was not afraid, for he was Manfred Von Karma, and to be a Von Karma meant to be completely perfect. He was not afraid, and instead waited patiently for the end that he knew tomorrow would bring.

"_So this is how it ends," _Manfred thought to himself, _"With me, dying in a prison. Yet I am not afraid nor do I have any regrets. I did what I had to do to win my trials and get every client declared guilty, for that is the role of a prosecutor, and that is my creed. But as I stand here, I cannot help but recall my career as a prosecutor. In fact, I can even recall my first case..."_

And with that, Von Karma became lost in his memories…

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><p><strong>AN: **Whew! I finished my first chapter for my first fanfic. I finally decided to start writing fanfics after I got some good fanfic ideas while talking to some friends on Capcom-Unity. I've had this idea for a while now, and I finally decided to post it here.

I've always wanted to see someone do a series detailing Manfred Von Karma's career, and since no else has done it, I figured I would be the first to try.

I apologize if I made Von Karma out of character, but this is my first attempt at a fanfic, so please excuse me this time.

And I apologize if the chapter sucked, but this is merely a prologue for the story, something I wrote just to set the mood. I promise the next chapter will be better.

Next chapter, we go back in time about 40 years ago to Von Karma's first trial. I hope you stick around to read it.

Read and Review, please!


	2. The Birth of The Turnabout: Prolouge

**I've decided to change this story and instead of showing 5 cases, I will show 10. The reason is because Manfred spend such a long time as a prosecutor, I can imagine many things happening to him during his career, and I couldn't put it all in five cases. So I moved it up to ten.  
><strong>

**Anyway, its time for the first case: The Birth of The Turnabout! **

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><p><em>August 10, 1976, 12:12AM<em>

_?_

_?_

"_Where is it? I know you have it!" The angry young woman yelled at the man standing across her._

_The man sweated nervously as he looked at the gun that the woman was holding in her hand. "So… you work for them, do you? That's why you got close to me…" _

"_Shut up!" The woman was losing her cool, clearly worried about something. "Just give it to me right now!"_

"_Alright, you win. I'll give you what you want…" The man walked with the woman and as she turned around… the man attacked her! As they engaged in their struggle…_

_BAM! CRASH!_

_The man picked up the razor sharp object and plunged it into the woman's heart, killing her in an instant._

"_Sorry, but I couldn't let you live. No one can know my secret…"_

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><p><em>August 11, 1976, 9:52AM<em>

_District Court_

_Prosecutor's Lobby_

"…_It's almost time for the trial to start." _Manfred thought to himself. He had crossed his arms in a thoughtful stance and stood waiting for the detective to arrive with the evidenc. At first glance, Manfred might have been mistaken for an elderly man, with his white hair, but that was actually his natural hair color, and he was in reality a young, healthy 25-year-old man who had just passed the bar exam and became a prosecutor.

"_My first trial, and the detective hasn't even shown up yet! Where is that blasted detective!" _As Manfred thought about leaving to go find his witness, the door to the Prosecutor's Lobby swung open, and one man came in. He was wearing a police badge on his bright orange suit, proudly declaring his profession as detective.

"_Finally." _Manfred thought with disdain. He didn't like the fact that the detective had shown up right before the trial had started. It gave him last time to examine the evidence.

"Why are you so late detective?" Manfred asked the detective, but he said nothing.

"Detective?" Manfred tried again, but still the detective just continued to stare at him.

"Detective!" Manfred angrily snapped his fingers at the detective.

"Oh! Sorry, did I ignore you? I was waiting for the prosecutor to show up." The detective said, finally speaking to Manfred.

"I am the prosecutor, you blasted fool!" Manfred said, angered by the detective for failing to recognize him.

"My name is Manfred Von Karma, and I am the prosecutor for this case." Manfred said, identifying himself. He decided to take his prosecutor's badge out of his pocket and show it to the detective.

"Hm…." The detective said as he examined the badge. Then his expression brightened.

"Oops, your right. Sorry about that, Manny!" The detective said, laughing to himself while clapping his hands. Manfred flinched.

"_M-Manny?" _Manfred thought to himself, upset that he was given a nickname.

"The name's Damon Gant. I'm the detective that's been assigned to this case." The detective said, introducing himself. "Sorry I'm late, but the traffic was nightmare."

"I don't care, detective." Manfred was already upset at how much time was wasted with introductions. "Do you have the evidence I need?"

"Of course, Manny!" Gant said very happily. "I've got the autopsy report and everything, and I'm ready to testify about the case."

"Good." Manfred responded with. He looked at some the evidence and nodded with satisfaction. There didn't seem to be anything that could damage his case, so he decided to let the evidence be. Then he walked over to the witness to finished preparing their testimony.

"_My name is Manfred Von Karma, and I'm a prosecutor who just passed the bar exam. This is my first trial, and it's a very simple one. At 12:10 last night, a young man name John Aploe, was accused of killing his girlfriend, Eve Groven. I've listened to the testimony from the witnes, and I'm confident that the defendant is guilty. Not that it matters, because when I first became a prosecutor, I swore to win every single one of my trials, and obtain a perfect record. No matter what happens in this trial, even if the defendant is in actually innocent, I will win this case. and begin my perfect record."_

Manfred walked over to the young man standing on the couch in the lobby. _"This man is Adam Storen, the only witness to the crime. He was the one who called the police to inform them of the crime."_

"Mr. Storen?" Manfred asked. "Do you remember what I told you to testify about?"

"Yes, Mr. Prosecutor," Storen replied. "Only testify about what I saw. Don't waste time with anything else, or tell them why I was there, right?"

"Correct." Manfred said. "Don't tell them why your were there unless your asked to testify about it."

"_I can't let the court know about why Storen_ _was there that night. His reasons for being there that night can cast doubt on his testimony and make him a suspect in the murder as well. That might cause the judge to declare the defandant innocent, and I won't let that happen. I swore that when I became a prosecutor, I would win every trial, no matter what I must do to win."_

"Excuse me?" The court bailiff had arrived. "The court is starting soon. The prosecutor is to enter the courtroom right now."

"Of course." Manfred turned to Gant.

"Detective Gant, you are only to testify about your arrest of the defendant, and why you arrested him. Is that understood?"

'Of course, Manny! You're the prosecutor in charge of this trial, after all."

With that, Manfred turn to walk through the lobby doors and into the courtroom. _"So, my first trial begins. No matter what happens, I must win this trial. I will crush the pathetic and weak defense attorney, whoever they may be! I will crush the defendant's pathetic lies! I will show them all… the power of Von Karma!"_

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><p><strong>AN: **Here's the second chapter. I made it longer then the last one, so I hope its better.

This is another introduction chapter, to get us to meet the characters in this case. The next chapter will be the actual trial.

I've never written Manfred or Gant before, so I hope I wrote them in character.

On the plus side, we already have a few mysteries on our hands, like why was Storen there that night, and if Aploe really kill Groven. The answer will be revealed in the upcoming chapters.

Read and Review, please!


	3. The Birth of The Turnabout: Trial Former

**I've been replaying the original PW:AA to get a better feel for Gant and Manfred. I hope that improves my writing.**

**Now let's get back to the story.**

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><p><em>August 11, 1976, 10:00 AM<em>

_District Court_

_Courtroom No. 5_

The Judge banged his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. John Aploe," He announced.

"*Ah-HHHHEM!* The defense is ready, Your Honor." The young man at the defense's bench said, announcing himself with an over the top clearing of the throat.

"…" Manfred said nothing, and was just standing over at the prosecutor's bench with his arms crossed in silence. He didn't feel the need to announce whether or not he was ready to the entire courtroom. Merely being at the bench should have told the Judge that he was ready.

"Um… Mr… Von Karma, was it?" The Judge asked nervously. "Are you ready?"

_This judge seems very nervous and very weak," _Manfred thought to himself. _"Perhaps I can use this to my advantage…"_

"Fool… " Manfred began saying, "Do you think I would be standing here if I wasn't completely prepared?"

"O-of course!" The Judge was becoming very nervous. "I just wanted to make sure you were ready. This is my first time being a judge, and I want everything to go smoothly."

"Really?" The defense attorney said. "Actually, this is my first trial as well, Your Honor."

"Really, Mr….Grossberg, I believe?" Grossberg nodded his head. "How strange! I wonder if we will all continue to meet each other in other trials like this."

"You're wasting the court's time, Your Honor!" At this point, Manfred was upset by all the needless banter and was snapping his fingers. "Get this trial started, now!"

"Agh! Yes, Mr. Von Karma!" The Judge, like most people, was intimated by Von Karma. "Um… your opening statement, Mr. Von Karma?"

"_Here we go." _Manfred thought. He then spoke out loud. "Decisive evidence. A decisive witness. What more is needed?"

"Uh, nothing else, of course." The Judge was rapidly becoming more nervous around Manfred. "You may call you first witness, Mr. Von Karma."

"_Time call to my first witness," _Manfred thought. "_I should look at the Court Record. Not only does contain evidence, it also has a list of profiles for people I encounter."_

"The prosecution calls forward…" Manfred said. "**Take that!**"Manfred presented Gant's profile to the court.** "**Damon Gant, the detective for this case. Get in here, detective!" With those words, Gant walked up to the witness bench.

"Witness, state your name and occupation," Manfred asked, but Gant simply stared at everyone for a while. Finally he broke out in laughter and started clapping his hands.

"How are you doing, everyone? Name's Damon Gant. I'm the detective in charge of this case."

"Detective Gant, describe the incident to the court, now!" Manfred said.

"Got it, Manny!" Gant said in a cheerful tone. "The suspect, John Aploe, is a local fruit vendor. We arrested him on the charges that he killed his girlfriend, Eve Groven, a local florist. We have a witness who saw the crime, and we even found the knife on his body."

"Judge!" Manfred called out. "Here's both the autopsy report and the knife that was used to kill the victim," Manfred had Gant take out to the evidence so he could give it to the judge." "Accept them."

"Understood." The Judge said. "The court accepts it into evidence." _Knife added to Court Record. Autopsy report added to Court Record._

"Detective," Manfred said, "Testify to the court about the crime scene."

"Don't worry Manny, I'm on it!" Gant said in that cheerful tone of his.

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><p><strong>Witness Testimony:<strong> The Crime Scene

"We got a call last night at about half past midnight."

"The call was to inform us about strange sounds coming from the defendant's house."

"After we broke down the front door, we entered the defendant's house."

"We found the body of the victim, with the knife still plunged in her heart."

"After we examined the crime scene, we concluded that John Aploe killed Eve Groven."

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><p>"Hmm…" The judge was lost in concentration. "It sounds like a very solid testimony. Mr. Grossberg, you may begin your cross-examination."<p>

"_Cross-examination…" _Manfred thought to himself. "_During a cross-examination, the defense will press the witness on details in order to object to contradictions. If the defense points out enough contractions, they may be able to convince the judge that the defendant is innocent. Therefore, I must object to certain questions from the defense, and I can present evidence to support my claims'. But I must be careful, because if I object to an important detail or make a mistake, I will most likely be penalized. As someone who will walk the road of perfection, I will not allow even one penalty to stain my record!"_

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><p><strong>Cross-Examination:<strong> The Crime Scene

"We got a call last night at about half past midnight."

"**Hold it!**"Grossberg cried out. "Detective, who was the one who placed that call?"

"A Mr. Adam Storen," Gant replied. "He saw the victim go into the defendants house and claimed to have heard strange sounds. We decided to go investigate the house."

"So, this Mr. Storen will testify later, then?' Grossberg asked.

"**Objection!**" Manfred cried out. "The detective is here to testify about the arrest. The witness will be brought to the witness stand later, if necessary."

The Judge nodded. "Sustained. Only ask questions relevant to the witness' testimony, Mr. Grossberg."

"Ah, don't worry Grossey!" Gant said, laughing to himself. "How about we go swimming later? I'm sure that will cheer you up!"

"Detective!" Manfred snapped his fingers. "Get back to the testimony!"

"The call was to inform us about strange sounds coming from the defendant's house."

"After we broke down the front door, we entered the defendant's house."

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg said. "Why did you do that?"

"**Objection!**" Manfred wagged his finger at Grossberg. "Because the door was locked, fool!"

"Manny's right, Grossey." Gant said. "When we got there, the door was locked tight. It took five men to break it down."

"_Hmm, I should probably make a note of the door in the Court Record" _Manfred thought to himself. _Notes about Broker Door added to Court Record._

"We found the body of the victim, with the knife still plunged in her heart."

"**Hold It!" **Grossberg said. "About this knife… are you sure it's the murder weapon?"

"Of course, Grossey!" Gant replied. "The knife blade is a perfect match with the victim's wound/"

"Continue with your testimony, detective." Manfred ordered.

"After we examined the crime scene, we concluded that John Aploe had killed Eve Groven."

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg called out. "How are you so sure about that?"

"It's simple," Gant began to explain, "When we got there, we found the defendant unconscious next to the victim. On his hands were gloves that were covered in blood, which were confirmed to be the victims blood."

"Whaaaaaat?' The Judge yelled in shock. He had to bang his gavel down to quiet down the rowdy spectators. "Order!"

"Oh… my hemorrhoids are starting to act up again…" Grossberg murmured. He didn't like where this was going.

"The Court accepts the gloves as evidence." The Judge said as soon as he quieted down the audience. _Bloody Gloves added to the Court Record._

"We also found a gun at the crime scene." Gant said, continuing his explanation.

"A gun?" The Judge said, confused. "Was it Mr. Aploe's?"

"Nope, it belonged to the victim, Ms. Eve Groven." Gant said cheerfully.

"W-what?" Grossberg cried out in shock.

The spectators stared to raise their voices even higher then before, and the Judge had to bang his gavel again to quiet them down.

"Order! Order!" the Judge cried out. "Detective Gant! Are you certain about this?"

"Of course, Udgey!" Gant replied. "The fingerprints on the gun match's Ms. Groven's, and we tracked the gun to the store it was bought at. The store records show that the victim was the one who bought it."

"Wait a minute!"Grossberg cried out, slamming his palms onto the bench. "How does that prove that my client killed the victim?"

"Simple," Gant said, "The gun shows signs of being fired once, showing that before she died, Ms. Groven tried to fight back against her killer. Good thing that she did, or we wouldn't have found the decisive evidence."

'Witness, add this last statement to your testimony," The Judge said. "But first, the court accepts the gun as evidence.' _Victim's Gun added to the Court Record._

"Sure, why not?" Gant said cheerfully.

"The decisive evidence left at the scene of the crime proved that the victim had met with the defendant and killed her."

"**Hold it! **What is this decisive evidence you're talking about, Detective?**"** Grossberg asked.

"Heh,heh,heh…" Manfred began chuckling to himself.

"Uh oh…." Grossberg murmured in a weak tone. "My hemorrhoids are warning me of danger again…"

Gant stared at everyone for a while before he continued his explanation. "You see… we found the bullet inside of the defendant.

"Arghh!" Grosserberg cried out in shock. "My hemorrhoids feel like they've been lit on fire!"

"Order! Order! Order!" the Judge was trying to quiet down the rowdy crowd. "Detective Gant! Why was there a bullet found the inside of the defendant?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Gant replied in that cheerful tone of his. "Obviously, the defendant tried to kill the victim, so she took out her gun and tried to kill the defendant first. They got into a fight, and Ms. Groven fires the gun, and the bullet lands up inside the defendant.

"But that's..." The Judge was in confusion "That's just... unbelievable!"

"**Objection!**" Manfred said. "There is nothing to be confused about, Your Honor. If you add the bullet into the Court Record, and compared it to all the evidence we currently have, then simple logic will explain what happened that night."

"Oh…" The Judge said. _Bullet added to Court Record._

"Very well, then," The Judge said. "Mr. Von Karma, you may begin your argument."

"Yes, Your Honor." Manfred said. "_An argument is similar to a testimony, but instead of testifying, I'm using my logic to explain what I believe to have happened that night. The defense then can engage in a rebuttal and point any contradictions in my logic."_

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><p><strong>Argument:<strong> What Happened That Night

"That night, the victim went to see the defendant."

"It's obvious that that it was the defendant was the one who was in the house at the time."

"Why? Because there was no signs of forced entry upon the door."

"For reasons yet unexplained, the victim brought a gun with her."

"The two engaged in a struggle, and the victim shot the defendant."

"With his remaining strength, he stabbed the victim in the heart, and fainted from massive blood loss."

"You see? There's nothing left that has been overlooked."

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><p>"Oh, now it makes sense!" The Judge was happy he was understanding Manfred's logic. "Very well, Mr. Grossberg, you may begin your rebuttal."<p>

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><p><strong>Rebuttal: <strong>What Happened That Night

"That night, the victim went to see the defendant."

"It's obvious that that it was the defendant was the one who was in the house at the time."

"Why? Because there was no signs of forced entry upon the door."

"For reasons yet unexplained, the victim brought a gun with her."

"The two engaged in a struggle, and the victim shot the defendant."

"With his remaining strength, he stabbed the victim in the heart, and fainted from massive blood loss."

"You see? There's nothing left that has been overlooked."

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><p>"<strong>Hold it!<strong> Are you for certain that nothing has been overlooked?" Grossberg asked.

"**Objection!**" Manfred snapped his fingers. "That's what I just said, fool! If you have a problem with what I said, then show some evidence!"

The Judge nodded his head. "That's true. , if you have a problem with that statement, then provide evidence that shows that there is something that has not yet been examined."

Grossberg nodded his head. "Yes, Your Honor. **Take that!**" He presented Gant's profile. "Your Honor, I have a problem with what Detective Gant said."

"What the detective said? " The Judge responded in a confused tone. "I'm afraid you've lost me."

"During his testimony, Detective Gant said that there was a witness to the crime, remember?' Grossberg said.

"Oh!" The Judge exclaimed. "I do remember, now!"

Grossberg nodded his head. "Your Honor, we have yet to hear the witness' testimony." At this point, Grossberg slammed his palms down on the bench and pointed his finger at Manfred. "Therefore, until we here the witness' testimony, you cannot hand down your verdict yet, Your Honor!'

"Why, that's true!" The Judge said, agreeing with Grossberg. "Mr. Von Karma, what do you think about this?"

"Fine," Manfred said. "I will need time to prepare my witness, so we will have a recess that will last only 30 minutes."

"Wait a minute!" The Judge exclaimed. "I'm the one who's supposed to declare a recess!"

"Then get on with it, fool!" Manfred angrily snapped his fingers at the Judge.

"Y-yes sir!" The Judge was becoming more nervous around Manfred. "Court is now adjourned for recess!" He banged his gavel down.

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><p><span>Court Record<span>

Evidence

Prosecutor's Badge: Proof of my profession. However, I find it more fashionable to keep it in my pocket.

Knife: The murder weapon, belonging to the defendant. Has no fingerprints and is covered in blood.

Autopsy Report: Cause of death: Single knife stab to the heart. Estimated Time of Death: 12:10-12:15.

Broken Door: The front door leading into the defendant's house. Was locked during the murder and wasn't opened until several police officers broke the door down.

Bloody Gloves: A pair of gloves that was found on the defendants hands. Covered in the victim's blood.

Victim's Gun: A .35 pistol belonging to the victim. Was taken to the crime scene by the victim for unknown reasons.

Bullet: A single bullet found in the defendant. Proof that there was a struggle of some sort between the defendant and the victim.

Profiles

Manfred Von Karma, Age 24, Male : Me. This is my first case as a prosecutor.

Damon Gant, Age 25, Male: The detective for this case. Very cheerful, tends to laugh a lot.

Adam Storen, Age 21, Male: A man who works at a local grocery store and my witness to the crime. Claims to have seen the victim enter the defendants house before the murder.

Eve Groven, Age 22, Female: The victim for this case and the defendant's girlfriend. Used to be a florist when she was alive. Was found dead in the defendant's house.

John Aploe, Age 24, Male: A local fruit vendor, and the defendant for this case. Accused of his killing his girlfriend.

Marvin Grossberg, Age 24, Male: The defense attorney for this trial and a rookie. Often complains about his hemorrhoids.

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><p><strong>AN: For those of you who don't know, an Argument was a gameplay function from the Investigations series, which usually occurs when Edgeworth goes up against a rival, like Franziska or Lang. Basically, an Argument is similar to a Testimony, but instead of the character testifying as to what they saw, they tell you why someone is the killer. You can tell the difference between the two because on the upper left corner of the screen, it will either say "Testimony or "Argument" in green letters. I added it because I thought it would make the fanfic more interesting. Expect more gameplay functions from the Investigations series to be add later to the story.**

**On other news, I added a Court Record to make it seem more like the games. Hope that helps out with the story.**

**Read and review please!**


	4. The Birth of The Turnabout: Trial Middle

**Apologies for the delay in updating, but I've been busy with my personal life. Plus, I've been working on other stories that I plan to upload soon.**

**But first, let's get back to the story.**

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><p><em>August 11, 1976, 11:16 AM<em>

_District Court_

_Prosecutor's Lobby_

"_Everything is going as I've planned," _Manfred thought to himself. _"I'm confident that my witness will prove the defendant's guilt without a doubt." _He walked towards his witness sitting on the lobby's couch.

"Is it time for me to testify?" Asked the young man with brown and wearing a red jacket.

"Not yet, Mr. Storen," Manfred replied to Storen. "We have a half hour before court reconvenes, and we will spend it perfecting your testimony. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Prosecutor." Storen replied.

"Very well. Let's begin." And with that, the two of them began going over Storen's testimony, attempting to perfect so that Grossberg would be unable to find a flaw with it.

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><p><em>August 11, 1976, 11:46 AM<em>

_District Court_

_Courtroom No. 5_

The Judge banged his gavel his gavel down. "Court will now reconvene." He said. "Mr. Von Karma, please present your witness to the court."

"Fine," Manfred said. "**Take that! **I call a local man who works at the grocery store who saw the crime. Get in here, now!" With those words, Storen walked into the court and got onto the witness stand.

"Witness, state your name and occupation," Manfred said.

"My name is Adam Storen, sir. I work at the local grocery sort as a bagger."

"Now witness, at 12:10 last night you witness the defendant murdering his girlfriend. Is that correct?" Manfred asked.

Storen nodded his head. "Yes sir."

"Witness, testify to the court about what you saw,' Manfred commanded Storen to do.

"Understood." Storen replied.

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><p><strong>Witness Testimony:<strong> What I Witnessed

"Last night, I was walking to my house"

"Suddenly, I saw a woman enter a house"

"I decided to go look in the house"

"Suddenly, I saw the defendant shoot that lady in the heart!"

"I ran to find a phone booth to call the police"

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><p>"Hmmmm…" The Judge was thinking over what he just heard. He nodded his head. "Sounds like a very solid testimony to me. Mr. Grossberg, you may begin your cross-examination."<p>

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><p><strong>Cross Examination:<strong> What I Witnessed

"Last Night, I was walking to my house"

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg said. "You walked home? Does that mean you don't own a car, witness?"

"No, I don't."Storen replied. "I mean, I would like to get one, but I don't have enough money, so…"

"**Objection!**" Manfred said, interrupting the testimony. "What does it matter if the witness is so poor that he can't even buy a car? That has no bearing on this case. Objection sustained. "

"Wait a minute!" The Judge exclaimed. "I'm the one who's supposed to…"

"Sustained!" Manfred yelled.

"Y-y-yes sir!" The Judge said, giving in to Manfred once again." "C-continue with your testimony, witness!"

"Suddenly, I saw a woman enter a house"

"**Hold it!" **Grossberg cried. "I find it strange that you would notice a woman entering a house. That seems like a normal everyday occurrence to me."

"Well…" Storen was nervous again. "I guess your right."

Then why did you notice the victim entering the house?" Grossberg asked.

"Um…," Storen said while blushing. "Because… well, she was really pretty and-"

"**Objection!**" Manfred wagged his finger. "That question has nothing to do with the testimony, Your Honor! What does it matter if the witness noticed the victim because he was smitten with her? I demand this question be stricken from the record"

The Judge nodded his head. "I agree. Witness, continue with your testimony."

"_That was close," _Manfred thought. _"I can't let the court know why Storen was really there. It would make him suspicious in the eyes of the court."_

"I decided to go look in the house."

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg said. "Why did you do that?"

"Well…" Storen was blushing again. "I was hoping to talk to her when she got out of the house."

"Why?" Grossberg asked.

"**Objection!**" Manfred snapped his fingers. "He already explained why! He was smitten with her, so he wanted to ask her out. Am I correct!"

"Y-yeah, that's it!" Storen nodded his head eagerly, going along with Manfred's lie "Anyway…"

"Suddenly, I saw the defendant shoot that lady in the heart!"

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg said. "How did you see this happen, witness?"

"What do you mean, how did I see it?" Storen asked. "The door was open, so I could see in."

"Oh, really?" Grossberg said, smirking. "Your Honor! I wish for that to be added to the testimony."

The Judge nodded his head. "Very well. Mr. Storen, add that last statement to the testimony."

"Sure, why not?" Storen replied.

"The door was left open, so I could see everything."

"**Objection!**" Grossberg said. "I'm afraid that's impossible, witness."

"Huh? What is?" Storen asked.

"You couldn't have seen the crime through the door because of this!" Grossberg presented the notes about the broken door that Manfred made. "When the police arrived at the scene of the crime, they had to break the door down. Why? Because it was locked until the police arrived, that's why."

"Arghhhhhhh!" Storen screamed in shock. The audience was starting to get noisy, and the Judge had to bang his gavel down to quiet them.

"Why that's true! Witness! How do you explain this contradiction?"

"Um, well, you see…"At this point, Storen, who was already a very nervous person, was too nervous to come up with an answer. "It was left open when….When the murdered escaped. Yeah, that's what happened! He ran away from the crime scene."

"_Fool! Stop adding information! You're ruining my perfect trial!" _Manfred was starting to sweat nervously as how his witness was starting to screw his plans.

Grossberg shook his head. "I'm sorry witness, but that's impossible."

"W-what?" Storen said.

"This evidence proves that it was impossible for my client, Mr. Aploe, to have escaped! **Take that!**" Grossberg presented the bullet. "John Aploe was shot by the victim and passed out from blood loss! It was impossible for him to escape!"

"Argggggggh!" Storen screamed out again. There's was more shouting from the audience.

"Order! Order! Orderrrr!" The Judge was banging his gavel down. "Witness! What's going on here?"

"**Objection!" **Manfred was getting desperate. "This has nothing to do with the testimony, Your Honor!"

The Judge shook his head. "No, I don't think so. The witness has a huge contradiction in his testimony, which cannot be explained. We must-"

"**Hold it!**"

Everyone turned their eyes on Storen. "Wait a minute, Your Honor! I can explain what happened.

"Yes, witness?" The Judge asked.

"I'm sorry about all this. I… I was confused, Your Honor." Storen replied. "The truth is… I saw it through the window?"

"The window? The Judge asked. "But why did you lie and say that you saw it through the door?"

"I… I didn't mean too," Storen replied. "Its jut that I was confused, that's all."

"Confused?" Grossberg replied in shook. "How can you be so confused as to forget where you saw the crime?"

"**Objection!**" Manfred wagged his finger. "It's not so hard to imagine that the witness is confused if you take a look at this." He produced some papers out for the court.

"What are those?" The Judge said as he took a look at them. "These appear to be… Medical papers?"

"According to his medical files," Manfred began to explain, "When Mr. Storen gets nervous and stressed, he tends to get confused and mix up events in his memories."

"Hmmm…" The Judge was reading these notes carefully. "It appears to be true. The witness's memory does tend to get confused under stress. Very well. I will accept this explanation for now. _Storen's Medical Papers added to the Court Record._

The Judge banged his gavel "Witness, you mentioned something about noting the victim, am I correct?"

"Y-yeah?" Storen replied.

"Testify to the court about why you would notice the witness," The Judge said.

* * *

><p><strong>Witness Testimony: <strong>Noticing The Victim

" I was walking back home when I noticed her."

"I was terrified because I saw her gun in her pocket."

"I thought she may be up to something bad, so I looked through the window of the house she went into."

"I looked through the window and saw everything I described before."

* * *

><p>The Judge nodded his head. "I hope this testimony is more concrete then your last one. You may begin your cross-examination, Mr. Grossberg.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Cross Examination: <strong>Noticing The Victim

" I was walking back home when I noticed her."

"I was terrified because I saw her gun in her pocket."

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg said. "What do you mean you were terrified?"

"**Objection!" **Manfred snapped his fingers. "If you would read the medical papers I brought out, you would understand why the witness was terrified!"

Grossberg took out the medical papers and read theme. "What's this? The witness has… Hoplophobia?

"The witness has a horrible fear of guns, Your Honor," Manfred began to explain. "So when he saw that gun he was clearly terrified."

"That seems plausible," The Judge said. _Storen's Medical Papers updated in the Court Record._

"Continue with your testimony, witness." Manfred ordered.

"I thought she may be up to something bad, so I looked through the window of the house she went into."

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg yelled. "That's why you looked through the window?"

"Yeah," Storen replied. "I mean, you don' regular people just walking with guns with them, do you?"

"That is true," The Judge said. "You wouldn't expect to see someone with a gun with them walking in the streets."

"Which explains why my witness committed the unlawful act of peeking through the window and saw the crime, Your Honor." Manfred replied.

"So, to be clear, you had never met the victim before?" Grossberg asked. "You were just worried?"

"Of course I didn't know her," Storen replied. "Why would I hang out with a florist anyway?"

At that point, Grossberg's face lit up. "Really?" He asked. "Your Honor! I wish for that last statement to be added to the testimony."

"Very well," The Judge said. "Witness, add that last statement to the testimony."

"_Why do I have a feeling that something is going to go wrong for me in a minute?" _Manfred thought.

"I didn't even know who that florist was, anyway."

"**Objection!**" Grossberg slammed his palms on the bench. "Witness, you claim to have never met the victim before, am I correct?"

"Yeah," Storen replied. 'What about it?"

"It's simple," Grossberg replied. "If you had never met the witness before… then how did you know that she was a florist?"

"Gaccck!" Storen screamed.

"**Objection!**" Manfred yelled. "That has nothing to do with the testimony!"

"**Objection!**" Grossberg pointed his finger at Manfred. "The witness testified that he never knew the victim! If he really didn't know her, how did he knew what her profession was?"

"Argh!" Manfred slammed his bench in anger as the audience began yelling.

The Judge slammed his gavel down. "Order! Order! Witness! Explain yourself! Did you know who the victim was?"

"…" Storen was silent. "Yes… yes I know who she was. I knew her because… she used to be my girlfriend."

'What?" The Judge yelled

"My hemorrhoids are in pain again!" Grossberg cried.

"Yeah, we dated for a few weeks… but we broke up when I learned her secret." Sotren muttdered

"What secret?" Grossberg asked.

"She was working for the Cadaverini's." Storen explained.

"Wh-what?" The Judge said. He had to bang his gavel down to quiet a rowdy audience. "The victim was wokring with the infamous mob syndicate known as the Cadaverini"s? Is this true, witness?"

"Yes," Store replied sadly. "She told me she joined them because she wanted to make more money than being a florist. I tried to talk her out of it, but… She left me. And what's worse, she left me for some other guy. That's why when I saw her, I sped into the house she went into. I wanted to know if she was till working with them and was still doing jobs for them. I thought If I could catch her in the act I could try to stop her and convince her to leave the Cadaverini's forever."

"But why did you keep all of this a secret?" Grossberg asked.

"Well that prosecutor over there told me not to mention it if I wasn't asked," Storen explained, resulting in a huge uproar in the audience and the Judge banging his gavel in an attempt to restore order.

"Order! Order! Order!" The Judge was screaming. "M-Mr. von Karma! What have you done?"

Manfred had been watching silently, observing what was going on in the trial, before at last speaking. "I've done nothing wrong, Your Honor."

"B-But!" The Judge exclaimed, "You had your witness conceal information from his testimony!"

Manfred wagged his finger. "Conceal information? Poppycock! I simply thought that the witness personal history with the defendant had nothing to do with the case."

"**Objection!**" Grossberg yelled. "Mr. von Karma, I don't believe that for a minute. If the defendant was close to the victim, it's possible he's lying in his testimony as revenge for whom he believes to be the killer, or he's simply remembering wrong."

"**Objection!**" Manfred snapped his fingers. "If you're going to claim that the witness memory is wrong, then provide some evidence!"

"**Take that!" **Grossberg presented Storen's medical papers to the court. "According to these medical papers, the witness memory is confused when under stress. Therefore!" He pointed his finger at Manfred. "Its not hard to imagine that the stress of losing someone he loved would affect the witness memory!"

"Agh!" Manfred flinched

"Hmm…" The Judge said. "That is a possibility. It could be the stress of losing someone he was once in love may be affecting his memory."

"Or it could something else," Grossberg said, tapping his chin in thought. "Perhaps he is simply lying because, in his anger, he murdered his former love and wants to hide what really happened that night."

"Wait a minute!" The Judge exclaimed. "Are you accusing the witness of being the murder?"

Grossberg nodded his head. "I am. I accuse this witness of being the murderer!"

"W-W_WHAT?" Storen screamed in such shock that it looked like he was going to faint.

"**Objection!**" Manfred screamed. "This is ridiculous! Why would you accuse this man of being the killer?"

"**Objection!**" Grossberg said. "Before you call my theory ridiculous, let me explain my logic to you, Mr. von Karma!"

* * *

><p><strong>Argument: <strong>Grossberg's Logic

"Adam Storen killed his girlfriend."

"His reason for doing so was revenge for breaking his heart when they ended their relationship."

"When Ms. Groven entered my client's house, Mr. Storen forced her to bring him inside the house."

"The three had an argument, and Storen took out a knife and stabbed his girlfriend."

"There was a struggle, of course, and John Aploe was shot in the process."

"Then Storen escaped through the door and called the police to frame my client as the killer."

* * *

><p>"Interesting logic, the Judge said. "Mr. von Karma, you may begin your rebuttal, but be warned. The court will not accept any needless pressing. If you have a problem with Mr. Grossberg's logic, then you will only present one piece of evidence. Understood?"<p>

"Understood." Manfred said. _"Besides, the contradiction_ _is quite obvious."_

* * *

><p><strong>Rebuttal: <strong>Grossberg's Logic

"Adam Storen killed his girlfriend."

"His reason for doing so was revenge for breaking his heart when they ended their relationship."

"When Ms. Groven entered my client's house, Mr. Storen forced her to bring him inside the house."

"The three had an argument, and Storen took out a knife and stabbed his girlfriend."

"There was a struggle, of course, and John Aploe was shot in the process."

"Then Storen escaped through the door and called the police to frame my client as the killer."

"**Objection!**" Manfred wagged his finger. "That is impossible. As previously stated, the door was locked from the inside until the police arrived. Therefore, it is impossible for the witness to have escaped from the door!"

"ARGHH!" Grossberg screamed. "My hemorrhoids feel like they've blasted off on a rocket!"

The audience started to get rowdy again, and the Judge had to bang his gavel down a few more times to stop the chatter.

"B-But!" Grossberg stammered, "He may have escaped through the window!"

"**Objection!" **Manfred said, "That's impossible. The entire house was investigated, and we examined everything, including the window, and the only prints found on it were the victim's!"

"My hemorrhoids feel like they're blasting off again!" Grossberg screamed.

The Judge banged his gavel down. "Hmm… I agree that the evidence shows that the witness cannot be the killer. However! The witness has enough contradictions in his testimony to leave doubt on what he actually saw. Therefore, at this time, I cannot pronounce a verdict. So then the trail will be-"

"**Objection!**" Manfred wagged his finger. "Don't suspend the trial yet, Your Honor. There's still one person left who can testify as to what happened." _It's a long shot if this will work, but it's the only chance I have left to win the trial today, _Manfred thought.

"W-What?" The Judge asked. "Who is this last person who can testify, Mr. von Karma?"

"**Take that!**" Manfred presented the profile of John Apole to the court. "I call forth John Aploe as the final witness!"

"The defendant?" The Judge asked. "Well, very well then. However, I feel it is time for a recess. We will have a 30 minute recess. Understood?"

"Y-yes, Your Honor." Grossberg said in a defeated tone of voice. Manfred said nothing.

"Very well. Court is now adjourned for recess!" The Judge slammed his gavel down.

* * *

><p><span>Court Record<span>

Evidence

Prosecutor's Badge: Proof of my profession. However, I find it more fashionable to keep it in my pocket.

Knife: The murder weapon, belonging to the defendant. Has no fingerprints and is covered in blood.

Autopsy Report: Cause of death: Single knife stab to the heart. Estimated Time of Death: 12:10-12:15.

Broken Door: The front door leading into the defendant's house. Was locked during the murder and wasn't opened until several police officers broke the door down.

Bloody Gloves: A pair of gloves that was found on the defendants hands. Covered in the victim's blood.

Victim's Gun: A .35 pistol belonging to the victim. Was taken to the crime scene by the victim for unknown reasons.

Bullet: A single bullet found in the defendant. Proof that there was a struggle of some sort between the defendant and the victim.

Storen's Medical Papers:Patient's memory is affected when under high amounts of strress, and is often remember things incorrectly. Also has a highly devolped case of holophoiba.

Profiles

Manfred von Karma, Age 24, Male : Me. This is my first case as a prosecutor.

Damon Gant, Age 25, Male: The detective for this case. Very cheerful, tends to laugh a lot.

Adam Storen, Age 21, Male: A man who works at a local grocery store and my witness to the crime. Claims to have seen the victim enter the defendants house before the murder. Also use to date the victim until recently.

Eve Groven, Age 22, Female: The victim for this case and the defendant's girlfriend and the witness' ex-girlfriend. Used to be a florist and worked for the Cadaverini's when she was alive. Was found dead in the defendant's house.

John Aploe, Age 24, Male: A local fruit vendor, and the defendant for this case. Accused of his killing his girlfriend.

Marvin Grossberg, Age 24, Male: The defense attorney for this trial and a rookie. Often complains about his hemorrhoids.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ugh. I hated writing this chapter. I kept rewriting it because I was never satisfied with how it would turn out in the end. In fact, I'm still not totally satisfied with how this chapter turned out. I honestly think this the weakest chapter I have written so far. Speaking of rewrites, this case actually went under a massive rewriting during the second chapter, but I'll get to that next chapter.**

** Speaking of Manfred, I'm going to introduce his future wife in a future case, but I don't know what to call her. I would appreciate it if someone would leave an idea for her name in a review, and I would prefer it if her last name wasn't Von Karma because they aren't married yet.**

**This was my first time writing an OC, and I don't think I did very well Adam Storen and his personality. I'll try and work on that later. Speaking of characters, I plan on adding more characters from the AA series, like Edgeworth, Franziska, Kristoph, and several other characters from the series, both important main characters and minor characters that you wouldn't expect to see in this fic. You can leave a request in a review if you want to see a certain character in the story. The only rule is that because I plan for this fic to take place from the start of Manfred's career and end a few years before the events of PW:AA, you cannot request characters that Manfred hadn't yet met until Turnabout Goodbyes, so Phoenix will not be in the fic. I may put him in the epilogue, though.**

**In other news, I'm trying to expand my writing, and I'm currently working on an Apollo/Vera fic. It's one of my favorite AA pairings, and I'm disappointed by the lack of fics on the pairing, so I've decided to give a go at this pairing and see if I can write a romance fic. If it turns out okay, then I will start writing more romance fics not only for Ace Attorney, but for Sonic the Hedgehog and the Legend of Zelda as well.**

**Wow, that was a long Author's Note. Anyway, read and review!**


	5. The Birth of The Turnabout: Trial Latter

**I finally updated! I got bored with all my other one shot fics that I was going to write, and decided to finally write the fifth chapter of this story **

**And thanks for the reviews, guys! I'll try to work on those problems. But first, I'm going to describe some of the characters, because that's a common complaint I've been getting. **

**Manfred looks the same, except he has a younger face, though everyone thinks he's an old guy because of his white hair. In fact, the judge is going easy on him because he thinks Manfred is an old man, and doesn't want to upset the elderly (That's the only reasonable explanation I could come up with for why the judge is letting Manfred walk over him. That and the Judge is kind of pushover. Yes, I'm aware it's a lame excuse) . He acts similar to how he does in the games by trying to prove the defendants guilty, but it's because he honestly believes their guilty and not because he just wants to win, and while he is willing to hide testimonies to get the guilty verdict, he would never forge evidence or do anything that extreme, as he believes that is going too far for a prosecutor. In short, Manfred sometimes jackass, but he's actually a good person deep inside. But as the story progress, and Manfred encounters new enemies, he has to adopt darker and more brutal tactic in order to get a guilty verdict, and the experience from those cases changes him into the man we're all familiar with.**

**Gant looks mostly the same, except he's wearing a police badge on his suit and has dark black hair. Like Manfred, he acts similar to how he was in the games, but deep down he's actually a good person. Gant believes in justice and wants to help Manfred get a guilty verdict for the killers because he doesn't want innocent people to suffer. Also like Manfred, Gant adopts brutal tactics in order to get the killers, and changes into how he is in Rise from the Ashes because of this.**

**The Judge is much younger than he is in the games. He's so young, he doesn't have a beard yet, and instead of being bold, he has blond hair. Yes, I made The Judge a blond here, but that is not because I'm making fun of blonds, so no one start excusing me of making fun of the stereotype that blonds are stupid. It's because the Judge's younger brother is blond, and I figured that since he has blond hair, his older brother should be blond too. Though personality wise, he's pretty much the same loveable Judge.**

**Grossberg looks almost completely different. He's not fat; in fact he's actually pretty thin and somewhat muscular. He has his moustache, but he doesn't have to wear glasses yet, and he has black hair, but is wearing his red suit from Turnabout Memories. He's almost more confident than he is in the games, but he gets stressed from being a defense attorney in the following years, and starts overeating and gets fatter and fatter in each case he appears in this fic. Grossberg also has just gotten his hemorrhoids, much to everyone's disgust as he often talks about them a lot. **

**Well, that was longer than I expected. Let's get back to the story.**

* * *

><p><em>August 11, 1976, 11:03 PM<em>

_District Court_

_Prosecutor's Lobby_

"_This trial isn't running as I've planned it out to be" _Manfred thought unhappily. He looked at his witness who was sitting on the couch, depressed. _"My decisive witness failed to prove the defendant guilty without a doubt, and the defense attorney is speaking with the defendant. This isn't good. I need to come up with a plan…"  
><em>

"Hey Manny!" A cheerful voice cried out from behind Manfred, causing the young prosecutor to flinch in shock. He turned around, flustered, only to look at the cheerful grin of Damon Gant.

"Y-you!" Manfred exclaimed. "Detective Gant! What are you doing here?"

"Now, Don't be upset Manny." Gant said in a cheerful tone before he started playing with his black hair. "And after I came here to help you by giving you some evidence…"

"Wait, what? What evidence?" Manfred asked.

Gant stared at Manfred for a while, looking at him though his pink glasses before he finally broke up in laughter and clapped his hand. "Come on, Manny! Where you think I've been for the last few hours? I was called back by the chief of police to investigate the victim's house."

"Eve Groven's house?" Manfred said, confused. "What for?"

"Oh, we hadn't investigated the victim's house yet in time for the trial, "Gant replied cheerfully. "The chief thought it would be a good idea if we investigated the victim's house for clues. And look with what we found!"

Gant took out a note from his pocket and handed to Manfred." It was a note from John Aploe to Eve Groven, confirmed through a penmanship analysts. Read it for yourself, Manny.

Manfred took a good look at the note and read its contents.

_Eve,_

_We need to talk about important matters. Meet me on August 11__h__, at midnight. Come alone, and tell no one of this message._

_John._

Manfred read the note again and again, making sure he was reading it right.

"_A letter from the defendant to the victim?" _He thought. "_Why? What was he planning on discussing with? Whatever it was, I'm keeping this letter just in case." Apole's letter added to Court Record._

Gant looked at Manfred with a smile on his face. "Well, Manny?" He asked. "How do you like the evidence I brought?"

Manfred looked up from reading the note and faced Gant. "Well…" Manfred began to say. He wasn't entirely sure how much good this piece of evidence could help him, as he already proved that Eve was in Aploe's house that night.

He didn't get to finish his sentence, as the court bailiff had shown up. 'Excuse me, Mr. Von Karma? The trial is about to restart, sir." He informed Manfred.

Manfred turned around and proceeded to walk through the doors before he felt Gant's hand on his shoulder. "Well, looks its time for us to be getting back in there, Manny!"

Manfred turned to face Gant and scowled at him. "We? What we? I never said you were coming along. I don't need a co-council, I'm fine on my own."

Gant just laughed it off. "Oh, come on Manny! I just got back from working so hard to help you, and you don't want me to help you in court? If you keep this attitude up, your going to lose me as your friend Manny."

"I never said you were my friend!" Manfred yelled back at Gant, who simply kept smiling like Manfred wasn't mad at him. "And I don't need your help! There's no way that I'm going to let you enter the court room with me as my co-council!"

"Mr. von Karma!" The bailiff cried out. "Court is about to start again in one minute. The prosecutor must be in the courtroom at that time."

"Come on, Manny!" Gant said cheerfully. "There's no time to waste! If you just keep arguing with me, you're going to miss the trial!"

Manfred conserved his options. He knew that continuing to argue with Gant would go nowhere, and he had to hurry up or he'll miss the trial. Realizing this, he gave in. "Fine. You can come along. Just don't stat anything." And with, a reluctant Manfred went back into the trial with Gant in tow.

* * *

><p><em>August 11, 1976, 11:13 PM<em>

_District Court_

_Courtroom No.5_

"Court is now back in session." The Judge announced. "Mr. von Karma, please present the final witness."

"Yes, Your Honor." Manfred grumbled unhappily, as Gant was standing next to him. "**Take that!**" He presented Aploe's profile to the court. "I summon John Apole, the defendant himself! Take the stand, defendant!"

A young man walked to the witness stand. He was wearing a dark green shirt, wearing red pants, and had brown hair. He had a cocky expression on his face as he walked to the stand.

"Defendant, name and occupation." Manfred said.

"Heh. Name's John Apole. I'm a local florist." Apole answered.

"Defendant, testify about what happened last night." Manfred ordered.

"Sure, why not?" Apole said smirking. "Because my testimony will prove my innocence."

* * *

><p><strong>Witness Testimony: <strong>What Happened That Night

"Last night, I was at my house."

"All of a sudden, this my girlfriend shows up with a gun!"

"She suddenly attacked me, and I lost consciousness!"

"When I woke up, she was already dead!"

"I don't know how it happened, but it wasn't me who killed her!"

* * *

><p>"I see," The Judge said, nodding his head. "Mr. Grossberg, your cross-examination, if you well."<p>

"_How foolish," _Manfred thought. _"The fool has yet to see the obvious contradiction in his testimony. It's time for me to expose it."  
><em>

"Go get him, Manny!" Gant cheered right next to him, much to Manfred's annoyance.

'_Of all the detectives I could have gotten, why him?"_ Manfred thought miserably.

* * *

><p><strong>Cross-Examination:<strong> What Happened That Night

"Last night, I was at my house."

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg cried out. "Why were you at your house at time?"

"**Objection!**" Manfred wagged his finger. "What a foolish question! If you take a good look at the records for his florist shop, you will notice that opens between 9:00 AM and 10:00 PM!" Manfred then took out the store records for the court to see.

"The court accepts it into evidence." The Judge announced. _Store records added to Court Record._

"Hey! I was going to answer that question! You old fool!" Apole yelled at Manfred.

"Defendant! Don't yell at the prosecution!" The Judge said. "A poor, elderly man like Mr. von Karma shouldn't have to deal with such verbal abuse."

"_What? How dare you? I'm not old!"_ Manfred thought angrily.

"It's your faulty, Manny." Gant said. "You need to get out more so you can look younger. How about we both go swimming later? It'll take years off your face!"

"Be quiet! I don't need your commentary, Detective!" Manfred yelled at Gant as the testimony continued.

"All of a sudden, my girlfriend shows up with a gun!"

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg cried out. "By girlfriend, do you mean Ms. Groven?"

"Of course!" Apole replied. "I wouldn't have left anyone else inside my house."

"And what did you do after she entered your house defendant?" Grossberg asked.

"I didn't do anything!" Apole claimed. "After she showed up at my house out of the blue, she pulls a gun at me!"

"Do you mean to say that the defendant showed up at your house without telling you first? The Judge asked.

"Of course not!" Apole said, "Why would I ask my girlfriend to show up at my house so late?"

"Your Honor, I ask for that last statement to be added the testimony." Manfred asked, smirking in triumph.

"Oh no, my hemorrhoids are telling me to beware that smirk…' Grossberg mumbled.

"_Ugh. Doesn't this fool talk about anything other than his hemorrhoids?"_ Manfred asked.

"Poor Grossey." Gant said. "When you point out that contradiction, Manny, poor Grossey's going to be in real pain from his hemorrhoids."

"Don't remind me, Detective," Manfred said. The thought of Grossberg's hemorrhoids acting up again was not something he really wanted to think about

The Judge slammed his gavel. "Very well. Defendant, add that last statement as part of your testimony."

"Fine. Don't see what the big deal is, though." Apole said.

"My girlfriend showed up at my house without even telling me she was coming."

"**Objection!**" Manfred wagged his finger. "It seems you've been caught in your own lie, Mr. Aploe."

"What are you talking about?" Aploe asked. "I didn't lie!"

Manfred wagged. "Yes you have." He took out the note from Aploe and presented it to the court. "This is a note that was found in the victim's house. And this letter was addressed to you, Mr. Aploe!"

"W-what?" The Judge yelled as the audience started raising their voices, resulting in the Judge having to bang his gavel. "Order! Order! Witness, is this true?"

'"N-no! I-I-I!" Aploe said, too nervous to make a sentence.

"**Objection!**" Grossberg said, pointing at Manfred. "There is no proof that my client actually wrote that note! You can't prove that it wasn't someone else trying to frame my client."

"Sorry Manny," Gant said. "But we didn't have time to analyze the handwriting. We can't prove the defendant wrote the letter."

"_Why didn't you tell me that before?" _Manfred thought angrily.

"In that case," Grossberg said. "There is only one person who could have written the letter!"

"What?" The Judge exclaimed. 'Who?"

"**Take that!** I accuse Adam Storen!" Grossberg said as he presented Storen's profile to the court.

"**Objection!" **Manfred cried out. "You already tried that, and I've already exposed the flaws in that accusation!"

"But there is no one who can be the killer!" Grossberg insisted.

"**Hold it!" **Aploe suddenly cried out. "Wait! There's something I want to say!"

"What is it, witness?" The Judge asked.

"I saw someone else in my house last night besides my girlfriend!" Aploe said, resulting in another uproar by the audience.

"Order!" The Judge said banging his gavel. "Mr. Aploe! You will testify to the court about who you saw last night!"

"Right away, old man!" Aploe replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Witness Testimony: <strong>The Other Man

"When I saw my girlfriend enter the house, I noticed someone else was there."

"I had a hard time telling who he was, because it was dark."

"But when I turned on the lights, I knew who he was."

"It was that Storen guy! I just know it!"

"He was the one who told Eve to fire!"

"Mr. Aploe! Why didn't you testify about this earlier?" The Judge asked.

Aploe shrugged. "Sorry, old man. I just forgot. It must have been from when I attacked, so I forgot because of the trauma."

"_He's lying,"_ Manfred thought. _"If that had actually happened, he would have accused Storen first instead of trying to claim that he wasn't the one who stabbed her. But no matter what excuses the defendant comes up with, I won't allow them to get away with them! I won't allow an innocent man to be sent to prison in his place!_

* * *

><p><strong>Cross-Examination:<strong> The Other Man

"When I saw my girlfriend enter the house, I noticed someone else was there."

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg was tapping his chin in thought. "Are you sure that you saw someone else along with his girlfriend?"

"Yeah, but I didn't see him at first," Aploe claimed. "All I saw was Eve at first, so he must have been hiding from me."

"**Objection!**" Manfred snapped his fingers. "I refuse too accept this testimony, Your Honor! There's no evidence to prove that the defendant's testimony is true!"

"**Objection!** I can say the same thing about you, Mr. von Karma!" Grossberg said as he slammed his palms on the bench. "Can you provide evidence that shows that my client is lying?" Grossberg finished his sentence by pointing ay Manfred.

"Arghhh!" Manfred flinched at Grossberg's question and started to sweat nervously. "N-no,…"

"The Judge shook his head. "Mr. Grossberg is correct. Without any evidence, there is no proof that the defendant is lying in his testimony. You will refrain from baseless accusations, Mr. von Karma."

"Yes, Your Honor," Manfred said, feeling slightly defeated.

"Sucks to be you, old man!" Aploe said, pointing at Manfred while laughing at him for his failure.

"Don't give up now, Manny!" Gant said, trying to incourage Manfred

Manfred composed himself. _"Damn,"_ He thought, _"The only way I can prove the defendant's guilt is to prove that there is a problem with the testimony with evidence. I'm going to have to listen carefully to this testimony."_

"I had a hard time telling who he was, because it was dark."

"**Hold it! **Do you mean it was dark in your house or outside?" Grossberg asked."

"Both, actually," Aploe admitted. "I was in such a hurry to open the door, I hadn't yet turned on the lights."

"But weren't you meeting with the victim?" Grossberg asked. "Wouldn't you normally leave the lights on?"

"Well, I didn't want people to know I was meeting my girlfriend at night," Aploe said. "I didn't want people to think I was meeting her, because I wanted to meet with her privately."

"Over what?" Manfred asked

"**Objection!**" Grossberg said."Why the victim and defendant wanted to meet each other is not important! The fact of the matter is that my client met with the defendant and that is all we need to know.

"He's right," The Judge said "We must focus on what transpired at the meeting right now."

"_Hmm, that was actually a pretty good trick,"_ Manfred noted. _"I should try doing that same trick myself sometime."_

"But when I turned on the lights, I knew who he was."

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg slammed his palms down on the bench. "Are you telling me you recognized who the witness was?"

"**Objection!" **Manfred snapped his fingers. "That is what he already said, Mr. Grossberg. Stop reading the same thing!"

"But Mr. von Karma, why are you supporting a testimony that puts you at a disadvantage?" The Jude asked.

"Oh…well…um.." Manfred tried to come up with something. _"I just objected without thinking this through." _He thought.

The Judge shook his head. "Next time, think before you speak, Mr. von Karma."

Grossberg nodded his head. "I agree."

Aploe nodded. "So do I, old man."

Gant nodded. "Yeah Manny, you have to be more careful next time."

"_I hate you all," _Manfred thought.

"It was that Storen guy! I just know it!"

"**Hold it!**" Grossberg cried. "So, are you telling me you have met Mr. Storen before?"

"Yes," Aploe said. "How could I not? I saw him with Eve all the time."

"Did you ever speak with him," Grossberg asked.

"Of course not!" Aploe claimed. "I never talked to either one of them before Eve and I started dating."

"**Objection!**" Manfred yelled. "If that's the case, then why did you start dating?"

"Cool down, old man!" Aploe said. "It was Eve the one who asked me out, and we started dating after that."

"_Something's wrong," _Manfred thought. _"If they had barely talked to each other, why would Ms. Groven want to ask him out?"_

"He was the one who told Eve to fire!"

"**Hold it!" **Grossberg yelled. "So Mr. Storen was the one who order the victim to fire?"

"Yeah!" Aploe claimed. "He told her to fire at me! That's why Eve and me got into a fight!"

"And you have no idea why?" Grossberg asked.

"No! I never even talked to that Storen guy before! I got no beef with him!" Aploe kept claiming.

"_I need to find something…" _Manfred thought. "_Something to prove that Storen would never want anyone shot…"_

The Judge nodded his head. "I don't see any problem with this testimony. Mr. von Karma, do you have a problem with this statement?"

"_Its now or never!" _Manfred thought before he nodded. "Yes, Your Honor. **Take that!**" He presented Storen's medical records. "You said that Storen was the one who ordered the shoot, correct?

"Yeah, that's right." Aploe said. "So what?"

"So getting shot results in a person bleeding, correct?" Manfred asked.

"Well…yes," The Judge admitted. "But where are you going with this, Mr. Von Karma?"

"It's simple," Manfred said. "Mr. Storen has a reported feat of blood. When he sees it, he becomes petrified and unable to move. Therefore, why would he ask his girlfriend to shoot someone and initially activate his fear?"

"**Objection!**" Grossberg said. "That is not important, Mr. von Karma! You can'"

"**Objection!"** Manfred snapped his fingers. 'It is! If Storen saw the gunfire and saw the bleeding, he would have been frozen in fear!

"**Objection!" **Grossberg pointed at Manfred. "There's no proof that Mr. Storen was looking at my client when he was shot! He could have been looking away!"

"Yeah! That's what happened" Aploe said. "He wasn't looking because he was escaping!"

"**Objection!" **Manfred wagged his finger. "That is also impossible! Mr. Storen couldn't escape!"

'What?" Aploe said.

The Judge banged his gavel down to quiet the observers. "That's enough! Mr. von Karma, what do you mean?"

"I mean this! **Take that!** Do you recall the state of the defendant's door, Mr. Grossberg?"

"Why, yes I do, Mr. von Karma," Grossberg said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Before the police arrived door was… Gack!"

"Exactly!" Manfred said. "Until the police arrived, the door was locked! Therefore.." He snapped his fingers. "It was impossible for anyone to have to left the house!"

"My hemorrhoids! They burn!" Grossberg cried in pain as the viewing gallery raised their voices in an uproar.

"Order! Order! Order!" The Judge said while banging his gavel in order to quiet everyone down. "Why that's true! It's impossible for the witness to have escaped the house!"

"AGHHHHHH!" Aploe screamed in horror that he had been exposed as the viewing gallery started to raise their voices at this development until the Judge banged his gavel to quiet them.

"Order! Order! ORDEEEER!" The Judge yelled. Once the noises died out, he closed his eyes and pondered what he heard. "In light of what we have heard, it appears that the defendant has been lying in his testimony. Therefore, I have decided to disregard your testimony defendant, as it has been nothing but a waste of time." He banged his gavel down again.

"**Objection!"**

All eyes in the court turned to Grossberg, who was pointing his finger dramatically. "Wait a minute, Your Honor! You're forgetting something!"

"What? I am?" The Judge exclaimed. "What have I forgotten, Mr. Grossberg?"

"You haven't let the defendant testify about his motive yet!" Grossberg yelled.

"The motive?" The Judge said, confused. "But Mr. Grossberg, is that really necessary? I feel that enough evidence and testimony has been presented."

Grossberg shook his head. "I don't believe that is true, Your Honor. In fact, I think establishing the motive is very important."

"**Objection!" **Manfred snapped his fingers. "I don't believe that! I demand you show evidence to support your claim!"

Grossberg nodded. "Fine. **Take that!**" He took out Eve Groven's profile and showed it to the court. "Mr. von Karma, what was the relationship between Eve Groven and John Aploe?"

"Need you ask?" Manfred asked while snapping his fingers. "The two of them had been daring each other for some time."

'And you don't think that it's strange, Mr. von Karma?" Grossberg asked while tapping on his chin. "If the two of them had been dating each other, why do you think my client would want her dead? Especially considering that the two loved each other?

"Well…." Manfred said while sweating nervously. _"Damn, I forgot to come up with an explanation for a motive!" _

"And that is the problem!" Grossberg said. "If they were dating and loved one another," Grossberg slammed his palms onto the bench and pointed at Manfred. "Then why we he need to kill her?"

"Nghhhhhh!" Manfred flinched as the hole in his argument became apparent, resulting in some of the viewing gallery to raise their voices before being silenced by the Judge.

"Order! Order!" The Judge finished slamming his gavel and closed his eyes as he pondered the situation. "It appears that we are not just finished yet with the defendant's testimony." He slammed his gavel down. "Very well. There is only one way to get to the bottom of this mystery. Defendant! Testify to the court about your relationship with Eve Groven!"

* * *

><p><strong>Witness Testimony: <strong>Relationship with the victim.

"Eve and I first talked to each other about two months ago."

"She had been wanting to break up with her current boyfriend, and had been eyeing me for a while."

"Since then, the two of us had been going out with each other."

"So what reason would I have for wanting to kill her?"

* * *

><p>The Judge nodded his head. "It sounds like a concrete testimony. Mr. Grossberg, you may begin your testimony."<p>

"Damn it…" Manfred said to himself. "I was so close to proving the defendant guilty."

"Cheer up Manny!" Gant said. "All you have to do is establish a motive. He's got to have one."

"What makes you so sure?" Manfred asked.

"Think about it, Manny!" Gant said. "Why would the defendant kill he was close to? And in his own house? Killing somebody in their own house would put a lot of suspicion on them, and could get them found guilty of murder.'"

"Well…You do have a point…" Manfred admitted. _"Damn, I didn't think of that. It seems that, despite the goofy and silly way he acts, Detective Gant hides a keen mind. _Manfred thought. _ He is much more valuable to me then I realized."_

"Which means," Gant continued, "That Apole here called Ms. Groven to his house, for some reason, and he found something out that panicked him so much that he killed her right on the spot. And whatever he found out must have been a dangerous secret to the victim as well, because she took out the gun and tried to threaten him with her gun."

"How exactly does all this help me, Detective?" Manfred asked.

"Its simple," Gant said. "All you have to do is prove that he found something about his girlfriend, something that could have been dangerous to him."

"I see." Manfred said. "Thank you for your assistance, Detective."

"No problem, Manny!" Gant said with a cheerful smile as the cross-examination began.

* * *

><p><strong>Cross-Examination: <strong>Relationship with the victim

"Eve and I first talked to each other about two months ago."

"**Hold it!" **Grossberg slammed his palms on the bench. "So until that day, the two of you have never spoken?"

"That's right," Aploe said. "I had seen her around with her boyfriend a few times around my shop, but that was the first time she had talked to me."

"**Objection!" **Manfred said. "Defendant, you testified that the victim entered your store many times. Are you telling me you never talked to her before she asked you out?

"No, she would always take her boyfriend in and browse around the shop, "Aploe explained. "She never talked to me or bought anything until two months ago."

"What an odd fellow the victim was," The Judge said. "Why would she enter a store constantly and not buy anything?"

"_Why, indeed," _Manfred thought, his arms crossed in concentration. _"It seems quite peculiar" _

"Maybe she wasn't interested in buying anything, Manny," Gant said. "Its entirely possible that she was only interested in Aploe."

"_But why?" _Manfred thought. _"What is so important about him?"_

"She had been wanting to break up with her current boyfriend, and had been eyeing me for a while."

"**Hold it!" **Grossberg tapped his chin. "How do you know all of this?"

"Well, Eve told me that herself," Aploe said. "She said she didn't want to be with Storen anymore. But she had been eyeing me for a while. That's why she had been in my store so much, she was checking me out!"

"Ah, love," The Judge said. "Its so beautiful. I remember when I was a young man in love and all the things I had to go through to find my true love and- Oh wait, I am a young man! I must be forgetting things already! Haha!"

"_Oh great, the Judge is already going senile," _Manfred thought annoyed. _"I can only imagine how senile he'll become when he's an old man."_

"Poor Udgey, losing his mind already," Gant said. "He should go swimming more often!"

"_Is that his answer to everything?" _Manfred thought even more annoyed.

"Since then, the two of us had been going out with each other."

"**Hold it!" **Grossberg said. Then the court became oddly silent for a few moments.

"Well? Were you going to ask the witness a question or not, Mr. Grossberg?"

"Huh? Oh, right!" Grossberg started to nervously rub the back of his head. "Um, so defendant…"

"Yes?" Aploe looked as confused as everyone else did.

"Well, about your relationship with the victim," Grossberg began to say. "Would you describe yourself as being happy?"

"Um, yeah," Aploe said.

The Judge shook his head. "Mr. Grossberg, the court does not appreciate random pressing on a witness's statement if you have nothing to ask. Next time I see this happen, it's a penalty, understood?"

"Yes, Your Honor." Grossberg started to sweat nervously.

"_Hmm, what a fool," _Manfred thought. _"Almost getting a penalty. Its not like I would ever get penalized for anything."_

"So what reason would I have for wanting to kill her?"

"**Hold it!"** Grossberg said. "So, to clarify, you have no moitve for murder?"

"That's right!" Aploe claimed. "I don't have a motive."

The Judge nodded his head. "I agree. From what I can see, there is no possible motive. Don't you agree, Mr. von Karma?"

"_This is important!" _Manfred thought. _"Do I have evidence showing a possible motive?"_

"Well, Mr. von Karma?" The Judge asked.

Manfred struggled to think off a possible motive for Aploe, but couldn't think off one. "Well… n-"

"Of course we do!" Gant yelled, shocking Manfred.

"What do you think you're doing, Detective?" Manfred growled at Gant, who was still looking as happy as ever.

"Come on Manny! What did you think you were doing, giving up like that? You can still win this!"

"But there's no evidence to support any sort of motive against him!" Manfred said.

"So? You don't need to a definitive piece of item to prove a motive, Manny," Gant said. "Just show something that proves he might have suspected her of something."

"_Something that could show a possibility of a motive…" _Manfred thought.

The Judge banged his gavel. "Time is up, Mr. von Karma! What is your final answer?"

"_I'm going to have to bluff my way through this one,"_ Manfred thought. "Yes, Your Honor!"

The Judge nodded his head. "Very well, Mr. von Karma. Present your evidence."

"**Take that!"** Manfred said. He presented the letter from Aploe to the court. "Your Honor, do you remember the note from Apole to the victim?"

"Why, yes," The Judge said. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Your Honor, haven't you wondered he wrote that letter?" Manfred asked. "And called for her to be at his house at midnight?"

"**Objection!"** Grossberg slammed his palms onto the bench. "That is not important!"

"**Objection!" **Manfred snapped his fingers. "No! This is very important!" _"Even if I don't really know where I'm going with this…"_

The Judge slammed his gavel down. "Enough! Mr. von Karma, I suppose you have some evidence to prove that there was something about the victim that made the defendant call her at late at night? Because if you don't, then I will give you a double penalty for wasting this courts time. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Manfred said, sweating nervously, as he had no choice but to take a lucky guess.

"Come on, Manny! You can do it!" Gant said, cheering on Manfred.

"**Take that!" **Manfred took out Eve Groven's profile. "Most of us have become aware of Eve Groven's secret, correct?"

"Are you referring to the fact that she had ties to the mob?" Grossberg asked.

"Yes, and it is my belief that this part of Eve Groven's life somehow threatened the defendant's life." Manfred claimed.

"**Objection!"** Gorssberg pointed his finger at Manfred. "Where is your proof?"

"Your Honor, all of these questions will be answered if you let the defendant testify one last time about this."

The Judge quietly mediated on this issue with his eyes closed for several minutes. Finally, he said, "Very well. I am intrigued by this notion of yours, Mr. von Karma. Therefore, I will allow one last testimony. Defendant! Testify to the court! Why did you write that letter?"

"Sure thing, Your Honor! Because I didn't even know that my girlfriend was part of the mob," Aploe said, smirking.

* * *

><p><strong>Witness Testimony: <strong>Writing the letter

"Now, I know I might look suspicious for writing the letter."

"But the fact is, I had a good reason for writing it."

"I was asking her about some money she owed me."

"She borrowed 100 bucks for me a week ago"

"She said that she used the money to buy the gift for a birthday of one of her relatives."

"But now that I think of it, maybe she was just using me to get money for the Cadaverini's?

"Whatever the case, I asked her to meet me to see if she can repay ne now."

"And I asked to meet her a midnight because I wanted to keep this private."

"See? My testimony is flawless, right?"

* * *

><p>The Judge blinked his eyes, as he was not expecting such a large testimony. When he was done blinking, he said. "Well, I believe its time for the final cross-examination, Mr. Grossberg. Mr. von Karma, if you intend to prove that there is something wrong with the testimony, then you will only get one chance to present one piece of evidence, as I feel that this trial has dragged on enough."<p>

"Understood," Manfred said, but inside, he wasn't sure. _"I have to prove that he's lying… but how?"_

"Just think outside of the box, Manny!" Gant said. "Instead of proving how he knew, just prove that he did know about it before he came to court! You can turn this case around if"

"_Thinking outside the box? Turning this case around? Those are tactics that sound more befitting for a measly defense attorney, not a prosecutor!" _Manfred thought unhappily. _"But I have no choice. I will win this case!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Cross-Examination: <strong>Writing the letter

"Now, I know I might look suspicious for writing the letter."

"But the fact is, I had a good reason for writing it."

"I was asking her about some money she owed me."

"She borrowed 100 bucks for me a week ago"

"She said that she used the money to buy the gift for a birthday of one of her relatives."

"But now that I think of it, maybe she was just using me to get money for the Cadaverini's?

"**Objection!"** Manfred snapped his fingers while smirking. _"Finally, I've gotten him! With this, I can turn this case around and win!"_

"Mr. von Karma? Do you have something to say?" The Judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor," Manfred said as he took out Eve Groven's profile. "Mr. Aploe, you said that you didn't know that your former girlfriend had ties to the mob, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right," Aploe said. 'But I didn't-"

"**Objection!" **Manfred interrupted Aploe with a snap of his fingers. "You have just exposed yourself in your own lie. Mr. Grossberg, what did the witness just say in his testimony."

"Well, of course!" Grossberg said. "He said that the C- ARGHHHHHHH!" Grossberg screamed in shock as he realized the mistake.

"You understand as well, Grossberg," Manfred said. "If you had never known that your girlfriend was part of the mob before today, how did you know what the name was?"

Urghhh…. Aploe said nervously. "That's because… you said it to me right now…"

"**Objection!" **Manfred wagged his finger. "No, I never mentioned the name of the group. Therefore if you really didn't know that the victim had ties to the mob, how could you have known what group they belong to?"

"Arrghh…argh…argh…" Aploe was fumbling to say something to get out of this situation.

"There is only one explanation!" Manfred said. "You did find out last night! You did find out last night! You found out and killer her because of it!"

"GAHHHHHH!" Aploe screamed as he was caught in another lie, resulting in the observes starting to yell until the Judge finally calmed them down by banging his gavel.

"ORDEEEEEEEERRRRRR!" The Judge yelled. "Mr. von Karma! Where are you going with this?"

"Its simple, Your Honor!" Manfred began to explain. "Last night, the defendant wrote a letter for the victim to come meet him at his house privately. He found out that his girlfriend was a spy for the Cadaverini's, but for why he was being spied upon is unknown to me. At any rate, the defendant called the victim to be sure of this, and she tried to kill him for more unclear reasons. The defendant, while using his last bit of strength picked up a knife and stabbed her, killing her."

"**Objection!" **Grossberg wa**s **sweating is one problem with your theory, Mr. von Karma. If that's the case, why was my client wearing gloves at the time? That would mean he had planned the murder!"

"**Objection!** Sorry Grossberg, but that is also easily explainable. **Take that!"** Manfred took out Aploe's profile for the court. "If you remember, the defendant is a florist. He grows flowers and raises them. Well that was what he was doing at the time before the murder. He was tending his flowers that he was going to sell the next!"

"GAHHHHHH! MY HEMMROIDS BURN!" Grossberg screamed in horror as Manfred had beaten his last hope at winning this case.

"Which means you are the killer, John Aploe!" Manfred snapped his fingers. "You killer her last night!"

"N-N-N-NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" John Aploe screamed as he slammed his head down on the witness bench in horror. He stayed like that for several minutes before saying in a defeated tone of voice. "Yes… yes its true… I… killed her…"

Ten minutes later the Judge shook his head "It seems that this case has finally come to an end. The jury has finished deliberating, but before the verdict announced, I wish to say something. Mr. von Karma, that was spectacular work you have just done. You are truly something amazing for a rookie."

"Why, thank you Your Honor." Manfred said.

"Ugh… my hemorrhoids…" Gorssberg muttered, defeated. "Someone… give me my medicine…"

The Judge shook his head. "Now, I feel it is time for the verdict to be announced."

"Yes, Your Honor," One jurist said, while getting up. "We, the jury, find the defendant…

**GUILTY**

The Judge nodded. "Very well. The accused will surrender to the court immediately, to be held trial at a higher court within a month from today's date. That is court is adjourned!" The Judge said as he slammed his gavel and ended the trial.

* * *

><p><em>August 11, 1976, 1:46 P.M<em>

_District Court_

_Prosecutor's Lobby_

"Great job, Manny!" Gant said "You won! You completely crushed poor Grossey!"

"_Speaking of Grossberg, if I never hear the word hemorrhoids again, it will be too soon! _Manfred thought. _I'm going to dedicate the rest of my life to forgetting this guy."_

"But what about me?" Adam Storen asked. "I lost my girlfriend, so what's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know, and I don't care," Manfred said. "Get out of my face, and move on with your miserable life." Storen walked out of the lobby dejected.

"That was really mean of you, Manny." Gant said.

"So? It's not my job to comfort him. Let him figure out what to do with his life on his own." Manfred said.

"Well, you're going to have to work on that attitude of yours if we're going to be working together, Manny." Gant said.

"Please, this was only one case" Manfred said. "I'll doubt we will see each other again."

"Don't be so sure, Manny!" Gant said. "I bet we will be working together for a long time!"

"_Great, I have to be stuck with the most annoying detective ever," _Manfred thought. _"I knew I should have stayed home in Germany."_ And with that, the duo left the district court.

They were completely unaware that they were being watched upon by a mysterious figure. This figure was walking out the lobby for the observes, when he saw another figure he recognized, and walked up to him.

"Interesting trial?" The second man asked.

"Very," the first man replied. "What about Aploe?"

"I've arranged with the prison warden for a… accident to happen to him in a month or so. Prisoners can get rough with each other during a riot, after all."

"Indeed."

"By the way, what made you so sure that new prosecutor, von Karma was going to win?"

"I could tell. From the way that he was so persistent in winning, that he was going expose Aploe as the killer, no matter what. He just needed some help, that's all."

"That's why you convinced the police chief to order that detective into the victim's house?"

"Of course. Without it, he couldn't have won. But I was still impressed about how he managed to find the truth behind this murder and expose the real killer at the same time. I think I'll look forward to seeing more of him in the future."

"On another note, did you get the items Aploe hid?"

"What do you take me for, a fool? Of course I have them with me."

"Excellent. Those Borginian cocoon are going to going to serve us well in the future."

With that, the two men left the courtroom and head off into an unknown destination to retrieve the cocoons.

* * *

><p><em>And that was how my first case ended. A few questions were left unanswered, like how John Aploe was working for, and I would not discover the answer to these questions for several years. On my next case in this country, Detective Gant was assigned to me yet again, and he and I ended up working for each other many years. Of course, I would occasionally leave to return home to Germany and prosecute many cases there, and that was how it went for three years.<em>

_Until the day I was assigned to the case that I would change my life forever. That was the day I met two people who would change my life forever. _

_The woman who would become my wife…_

…_And the man who would take her from me forever._

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that's the end of the first case, and actually it was much better then I thought it was going to be. Don't worry, the 'The End' I put at the end is supposed to be like how in the end of the AA cases, they would put that there to signify that the case is finished. Rest assured, I've got more planned.**

**And don't worry, the identity of who John Aploe worked for will be revealed in later cases, even if Aploe will not make a reappearance in the story. These people are the main antagonists of my story, and because of them, Manfred had to adopt more aggressive tactics to get them found guilty, which is why he ends up as a total asshole by the time of the games. **

**I personally believed that the most shocking aspect of this case is that I included a jury at the end, because I went to great lengths to hide it. I thought it would make for a great plot twist if I entered jurists into the court, since I believe that there used to be jurists in the AA series until they changed the legal system and removed them in the AA series. Rest assured, there will be an explanation for why there are no jurists by the time of the games, and in fact Manfred will be involved in their removal from the courtroom.**

**And of course, next case, we finally get to meet Manfred's wife! I have no idea what kind of personality I'm going to give her, because all I know that I'm going to do to her for sure is to make her a prosecutor. There will also be an explanation as to why she is no longer around by the time of the games, and that event will be a very important moment in Manfred's life, as its part of the reason why he became crazy.**

**Next case, which takes place three Manfred and Gant venture outside of the courtroom to solve a murder. That's right, it's going to be an Investigations style case! I have three reasons for this. One, no one has tried writing a case in the style of the Investigations games, so I want to take a shot and see if I can write one myself. Two, Manfred and Edgeworth are both prosecutors, so it would make sense that they both have a similar style of investigation. And three, it mixes things up a bit and keeps the reader from being bored by alternating between AA style cases and AAI. Don't worry, there will be more AA cases then there are AAI cases.**

**See you all next chapter! But until then, read and review!**


	6. Important Announcement

So… it's been about a year since I last updated this story. For anyone wondering where I've been all this time, I was going through two things. One, I had a nasty case of writer's block that I was going through. Two, I started losing interest in the story and where it was going. Eventually, I lost interest in fanfiction writing and focused on my real life. Now after all this time, I've decided to come back and try again.

Reading this fanfic again, I'm actually sort of ashamed of writing this. I mean, it's not a bad story, but it could have been so much better in my eyes. Plus, thanks in part to switching over to a laptop and losing my old computer, I've forgotten and lost most of the details of where I was going with this story. That and I wanted to change things about it that I dislike.

So right now, it's on hiatus. Yeah, it was already on hiatus, but this is me officially saying it. I'm not saying that the fic is dead yet, but that it'll probably go through some changes, hell, I might even rewrite the whole thing to make it work better. I'm still working on it. But I guarantee that I'll update this fic by at least before the end of the year.


End file.
